Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to sport player""s protective wear, and is more particularly directed to a wrap-around foot guard configured to cover a portion of the top and sides of a user""s foot in a manner to limit lateral movement of the foot guard when in use.
2. Description of Related Art
In the game of baseball, the catcher typically wears articles of protective equipment, including a chest guard and leg guards. Conventional leg guards include individual padded guard units for protecting the catcher""s thighs, knees, shins, feet and toes that are pivotally joined together via straps or other means. The padded guard units are typically comprised of relatively hard shells with padding secured under the shells. The leg guards are typically secured by straps around a catcher""s thighs and calves to hold the guards in place.
In specific relation to protection of the feet and toes, a conventional foot guard is generally oval in shape and configured to cover the top of a portion of the foot. A lower toe guard may be secured to the end of the foot guard to cover the toe end of the foot. The foot and toe guards typically lie on the top of the catcher""s foot and are not otherwise secured to the foot. Thus there is a tendency for these guards to fall to the side of the foot when in use.
While the prior leg guard configurations are useful, there remains a need for an improved leg guard that offers improved protection of the catcher""s foot and toes while also providing improved placement and securement of the entire leg guard.
The present invention is directed to a wrap-around foot guard shaped to cover a portion of the top and sides of a catcher""s foot so as to limit lateral movement of the foot guard when in use. The foot guard comprises a mid-section configured to cover a portion of the top of the foot and opposing sides extending downward a substantial distance along either side of the foot. For purposes of this invention, a xe2x80x9csubstantial distancexe2x80x9d means a distance sufficient to cover a portion of the side of the foot such that the sides of the foot serve to block lateral movement of the guard. Preferably, the opposing sides of the foot guard extend at least one-quarter (xc2xc) the distance between the top and bottom of the foot, preferably ranging from one-half (xc2xd) to three-quarters (xc2xe) that distance. In order to further limit lateral movement, the foot guard may be configured to include lobes extending rearwardly adjacent the user""s ankle.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a catcher""s leg guard comprising a wrap-around foot guard as described above coupled to the lower portion of a shin guard. Since lateral movement of the foot guard is limited, the foot guard provides a stabling effect to prevent the lower portion of the shin guard from moving side-to-side. A lower toe guard configured to cover the toe end of the foot may also be connected to the foot guard to provide additional toe protection. The secured placement of the foot guard will also assist in limiting lateral movement of the toe guard. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the wrap-around foot guard provides improved protection of the catcher""s foot as well as improving the placement and securing of the shin guard portion and toe guard portion of a leg guard.